Current issue

The February 2018 issue of Stainless Steel World contains among other articles:

- COVER STORY
BUTTING in Knesebeck… Experts in clad piping

The use of mechanically lined pipes represents an economically interesting solution in all areas where high pressures and agressiveness can be found in the media transported. BUTTING is one of the pioneers of this technology and today exports its clad piping products around the world for some of the most demanding and sensitive applications in the oil and gas industry. Stainless Steel World spoke to Managing Director Thomas Schüller about several exciting and unique developments in the company’s product offering; glued mechanically lined pipes, a special mechanically lined pipe and clad pipes with upset ends.

- MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT

Revolution: a year in stainless steel

The stainless steel landscape is changing fast, whether in terms of production, fabrication or consumption. Production has shifted to Asia at a pace which has left many gasping, especially in Europe, which has had to take drastic steps to adjust. Additive manufacturing is transforming not only whole industries such as aerospace and orthopaedics, but driving the creation of new alloys. Meanwhile, automized welding is streamlining fabrication. Finally, new applications and new industries are blazing a trail in the pattern of consumption, whether in infrastructure, vehicles, ships or biofuels.

Jan-Erik Anderson, Ovako’s Senior Group Technical Specialist, explains how the high-tech steel producer’s innovative Hybrid Steel® family is opening up new possibilities to achieve exceptional performance in highly stressed components while also offering the potential for enhanced corrosion resistance.

- MEETING POINT
DUPLEX WORLD SEMINAR & SUMMIT 2018 Call for papers

Take part in the Duplex World Seminar & Summit in October 2018! Check out these pages for all the up to date information on the event and find out how to submit a paper for consideration.

- METAL POWDERS

Metal powders: a niche to watch!

Despite product developments and vast investments, the metal powder industry has not really taken off, or have the sceptics been satisfied. Acknowledging that this is a technology for which home-grown expertise is essential for competitiveness, many countries are developing a powder metallurgy industry and developments can be seen on a daily basis worldwide. Yet players in the market seem to be ‘frozen’ and are not really bringing the developments to market yet.

- END USER INTERVIEW

Communications: a ‘must-have’ tool for a materials

engineer

SSW first had the pleasure of meeting Material and Inspection Specialist Mrs. Sari Musch in September 2015 when visiting the Neste refinery at Porvoo, Finland. There, in the company’s central office, she kindly outlined some of her work related to stainless steels. Two years later, SSW found it high time for a return trip to Finland to catch up with Mrs. Musch and many and varied projects.

- 3D PRINTING
Breakthrough in 3D printing 316L

Ground-breaking research into the 3D printing of 316L stainless steel has provided valuable insights into how to control the mechanical properties of 3D printed materials.

- ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
1st AM oil & gas part certified by Lloyd’s

The certification by Lloyd’s Register of an additively manufactured pipeline manifold component for the oil & gas industry is an industry milestone.

The choice of atomising gas on the properties of metal powders, in conjuction with the specific additive manufacturing process parameters, plays a key role in the ultimate microstructure and mechanical properties of fabricated parts as demonstrated in this Selective Laser Melting study.

Oil and gas companies and duplex manufacturers and suppliers recently defined quality control testing for the purposes of the new ISO 17781 standard. One of the key focuses was how to detect infrequent residual intermetallic phases in segregated areas for the superduplex. Aperam contributed to the discussions by conducting a number of experiments that quantified the microstructure’s effect on an offshore application’s susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement.

- MARKET OUTLOOK
Stainless Europe: the EU bounces back

Rumours of the death of the European Union and of its currency, the Euro, have been greatly exaggerated. After a tough decade the region is finding its feet again and experiencing strong growth. Its stainless steel industry likewise suffered but is recovering slowly. To survive, EU producers must invest in R&D and compete in a global market. Your intrepid correspondent overheard the following conversation during a recent conference, late at night, in the bar.

- WELDING
Shielding gas and purging techniques during welding Part 4: Minimising O2 and use of monitoring equipment

In parts 1-3 the author outlined the problems in selecting the optimum purge gas and technique as well as protective enclosures and trailing shields. In this final article he explains that using specialised weld purging equipment does not guarantee defect free welds; controlling the oxygen content of the purge gas is crucial to success.